U.S. and Japanese officials met this week in another round of trade talks aiming to lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The meetings, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday, were led by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Another round of talks took place earlier this month.
President Trump and Prime Minister Abe are set to meet during the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York in late September.
Minister Motegi said the talks “narrowed down the remaining agenda items” and said negotiations were “gradually approaching the final phase.”
The remaining issues outstanding are terms for automobiles and agriculture.
